t of good was even greater than she had hitherto
supposed.

But although the spell had been broken in a moment, her right mind was
not permanently restored all at once. It was only gradually, as the
tide goes out after a tempest, and leaves the storm-beaten coast in
peace, that the worry in her head subsided. She had lapse after lapse.
She would lie awake at night, a prey to horrible thoughts, or start up
in the early morning with her mind all turgid with suspicions which
goaded her to rush out and act, act--see for herself--do something.
But the great difference now was that, although she was still seized
upon by the evil, it no longer had the same power to grieve her. She
had valiantly resisted it from the moment she recognised its nature,
but now she not only resisted it, she conquered it, and found relief.
When her imagination insisted on pursuing Dan to his haunts, she
deliberately and successfully turned her attention to other things.
She turned her attention to the friends she loved and trusted, she
dwelt on the kindness they had shown her, she forced herself to sit
down and write to them, and she would rise from this happy task with
her reason restored, the mere expression of affection having sufficed
to exorcise the devils of rage and hate.

But it was the strange exalted sentiment which her knight had inspired
that began, continued, and completed her cure. Day after day he came
riding down the road, riding into her life for a moment, then passing
on and leaving her, not desolate, but greatly elated. She had known no
feeling like this feeling, no hope or faith like the hope and faith
inspired by that man's mien. She did not know his name, she had never
heard his voice; their greeting--which was hardly a greeting, so
restrained was the glance and the brightening of the countenance which
was all the recognition that passed between them--was merely
momentary, yet, in that moment, Beth was imbued with joy which lasted
longer and longer each time, until at last it stayed with her for
good, restored the charm of life to her, re-aroused her dormant
further faculty, and quickened the vision and the dream anew. She
prayed again in those days fervently, and in full faith, as of old;
for when we pray with love in our hearts our prayers are granted, and
her heart was full of love--a holy, impersonal love, such as we feel
for some great genius, adored at a distance, for the grace of goodness
he has imparted to us. And her